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Gothic Essay on Edgar Allan Poe

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Gothic Essay on Edgar Allan Poe
Jason Forte`
1/3/13
Gothic Essay
865 words Throughout Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death, the reader seems to become enthralled with the sense and reality of the utmost peculiarity. The seems to show masquerade how seemingly good lighthearted men are summoned to evil and warned of their treachery time and time again until death takes its final toll. The structure itself is obviously dark, but moreover the Prince, Abby and the different colored rooms seem to all point towards a dark, dreary end. Although all of these are relative, the Prince himself seems to be of a certain peculiarity. Poe’s Prince Prospero is indeed the trusting type. Do to his name the reader automatically infers that he will be prosperous. However a sense of irony is noticeable, since amid the lull and treachery, these fine Dukes and Duchess’s can buy their way out of it. Secondly on line 16 “The couriers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts”. The fact that “Prince Prospero” would allow that to happen is unimaginable, since who that is mortal can escape famine? If Prince Prospero were truly prosperous he would attempt to leave the country and seclude himself from the rest of mankind. So contrary to the reader’s inference, I believe quite the opposite; Prince Prospero is arrogant and gets others like him around him. The “Red Death” could find him anywhere at any moment, and ones best chances were to be away from civilization, not be battered in some sardine can next to each other. However Prospero’s actions could be intentional, since he authorized the sealing of the doors, he had just sealed everyone else’s fate as well. He could also be attempting to disguise the good of the men, and the abbey for that matter. Even though his has most of his faith in himself and wealth/power, he does seem to be under the influence that being in a church will keep them safe; or does he? Around line ten, Poe simply states “When his dominions were half

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